Challenges
by Starrika
Summary: A series of responses to the 1sentence challenge community on LJ. Set in the Flutterverse.
1. Alpha

#01 – Comfort  
He slips an arm around her shaking shoulders, far too small to bear the weight of war.

#02 – Kiss  
When their lips first touch, it is cold and wet, the spray of the waterfall mixing with her tears.

#03 – Soft  
Her voice was the softest whisper the first time she told him she loved him – his voice was even softer when he replied.

#04 – Pain  
That day at the cliffs is a day of pain, with Magua's blades and hatchets biting into flesh. The thought that she had almost lost him is an even sharper pain for Alice.

#05 – Potatoes  
They roasted the potatoes they'd found in the ruin of the burnt-out village; food had never tasted so good after two days wait.

#06 – Rain  
Hidden in the caves, Alice watched the rain fall but thought of the man beside her.

#07 – Chocolate  
Uncas' eyes reminded Alice of the dark chocolate she and Cora would receive at Christmastime; when he told her he loved her, it was even sweeter.

#08 – Happiness  
Snatches of conversation and stolen moments in corners while they are at the fort is the closest Alice has come to pure happiness since she had arrived in America.

#09 – Telephone  
It is a bittersweet feeling to realize that, without those false messages from her father, she never would have met him.

#10 – Ears  
His ear is pierced while hers are not. She doesn't mind, she's never liked blood or needles.

#11 – Name  
His name is not guttural, it is not savage – it comes from her heart and over her lips as they whisper about the war.

#12 – Sensual  
She is, was, an innocent in many ways before the war. His skimming hands and skillful tongue has never caused her to regret this wanton abandon.

#13 – Death  
They courted death that day at the cliffs. When she runs her fingers over the raised scars, she counts how many times they have escaped (for now).

#14 – Sex  
It is a sin, she knows, but that does not stop Alice from lifting her skirts ensconced behind the waterfall.

#15 – Touch  
His grip is strong and reassuring as he helps her over rocky paths; she knows his touch will gently lead her for the rest of her life.

#16 – Weakness  
It is a change for him to be weak and her strong – after attacking Magua, it is _her_ arm that supports him, and her gentle touch that tends to his injuries.

#17 – Tears  
He grabs her from the edge of the cliff, tears mixing with blood and hands knotting in her hair, not caring about his injuries but that she's _safe_.

#18 – Speed  
He runs after the bounding elk, legs burning, but mind feeling as if he's flying.

#19 – Wind  
The wind whistles around their cabin at night, and Alice always moves closer to Uncas – it's the wind, but it may be wolves.

#20 – Freedom  
It is a hard life, but Alice finally understands – there are no chaperones or officers and duties or bondage to the crown – they struggle, but it is their _own_.

#21 – Life  
Uncas wraps his arms around her midsection and tenderly whispers unknown words to her swelling form; both are amazed at the life inside her.

#22 – Jealousy  
Alice watches Cora enviously handle walking for three days and the sights of war with unflappable calm; her jealousy prevents her seeing Uncas' admiration for her own courage.

#23 – Hands  
His hands are calloused and worn while hers are smooth and soft; the savage and the lady, she sometimes thinks with derision.

#24 – Taste  
When he returns from a hunt, all she wants is to taste his salt-soaked skin – the tang reminds her he is back and she is safe.

#25 – Devotion  
Alice reads her Bible every Sunday; Uncas studies her golden hair with the same intensity.

#26 – Forever  
There were never any vows, but Alice knows that he will be with her forever.

#27 – Blood  
Alice always thought of blood in terms of death until the birth of their daughter; blood may be death, but it is fittingly, also the start of life.

#28 – Sickness  
She did not realize why she felt so wretched until Cora spoke more on the consequences of laying with a man.

#29 – Melody  
She did not think he sang until she found him one night at the wooden cradle, trying to ease Nadie to sleep.

#30 – Star  
Alice loved to gaze up at the night sky when she first came to America – the stars remained the same. Uncas loved to gaze at the night sky before he went to sleep – the stars were unchanging.

#31 – Home  
Their cabin was small and had only two rooms; even still, it was the first time since she came to America that Alice felt at home.

#32 – Confusion  
She had been jolted from imminent death to being saved from savages by savages. Alice did not know what to think as she was started by his deep brown eyes.

#33 – Fear  
The smell of gunpowder and the tang of blood would always send a shiver of fear down her spine from now on.

#34 - Lightning/Thunder  
Alice hated thunder and its echoing cousinship to gunshots; when there was a storm, she would curl into the safe embrace of Uncas' arms.

#35 – Bonds  
They are not married, but they are bonded all the same.

#36 – Market  
The first time they go to a market together, Alice knows he sees the stares; feeling as bold as Cora, she tells him she doesn't care.

#37 – Technology  
Uncas cleans his gun meticulously after every use. If asked, he'll say he prefers the older ways even as his fingers brush over raised scars.

#38 – Gift  
Days together are a gift – a balance for the hardship they have weathered.

#39 – Smile  
The first time Alice saw Uncas smile, he had grabbed her to dance and they were whirling, whirling. The next time he smiles, they are not dancing, but she feels the same.

#40 – Innocence  
The war had taken almost all her innocence; she gave him what little she had left.

#41 – Completion  
Birthing was terrifying and painful, but as she held her daughter, Alice felt a sense of completion.

#42 – Clouds  
When she was young, she loved to look for animals in the clouds. When he was young, he did too.

#43 – Sky  
Her eyes are blue like the sky and just as wide when he first sees her.

#44 – Heaven  
He doesn't believe in heaven, but she does. Sometimes she worries that he'll never get there, but she'd never tell him that.

#45 – Hell  
Neither of them believe in hell, not after seeing the effects of war. People punish each other enough on Earth.

#46 – Sun  
The sun is almost blindingly bright at the cliffs, and Alice's eyes water until she is crying. She does not want to die today.

#47 – Moon  
The moon had hidden behind the clouds – when it came out, she realized they were in a native burial ground with a muffled shriek. Uncas had kept his hand over her mouth.

#48 – Waves  
On their way to America, Cora reveled in the bucking waves that directed the ship; Alice spent her time below deck feeling as if she were on a wild horse and could not get off.

#49 – Hair  
Her hair is long and golden, and Uncas loves it when she lets it hang down. He does not believe in the white men's angels, but he knows she looks like one.

#50 – Supernova  
When they couple behind the waterfall, Alice sees bright stars behind her closed eyes. She wonders if Uncas sees them too.

I chose Nadie because it is an Algonquin name meaning "wise daughter." I wanted a Mohican name, but had some trouble finding anything in their language. However, I did find that their language is close to one of the Algonquin dialects, so I chose an Algonquin name.


	2. Beta

#01 – Walking  
Her feet ache from crossing the rough terrain, but when she walked by his side, she hardly felt it.

#02 – Waltz  
Their first dance is not a waltz but a raucous round about the fire – Alice didn't know dancing could make her feel so free.

#03 – Wishes  
Sometimes Uncas wonders if Alice wishes she hadn't had to walk to the fort, to face the blood and gunpowder of war, to brave death.

#04 – Wonder  
Alice wonders why Uncas would think that; for him, she would have braved much more.

#05 – Worry  
When she is with her first child, Alice worries over everything from birthing to raising babes; Uncas tells her she will be fine, but secretly, he is worried, too.

#06 – Whimsy  
At the rocky pool, Alice quickly removed all but her shift – with a look over her shoulder to Uncas, she dropped the shift as well.

#07 - Waste/Wasteland  
She does not like to think back to where her father died, the field strewn with corpses; when she wakes from nightmares, the smell of gunpowder and blood is in her nose.

#08 - Whiskey and rum  
She tries the drink and wrinkles her nose as her eyes water; it is the first time she has heard Uncas laugh.

#09 – War  
He hates the war and the way the white men fight, but he's grateful because it brought her to him.

#10 – Weddings  
Cora insists on a veil and a vow; Alice knows she doesn't need one.

#11 – Birthday  
He doesn't know his birthday, and she hates to celebrate hers (it's when her Mama died, after all); instead, they give thanks every year that Nadie grows with health.

#12 – Blessing  
As blonde hair mixes with black on the pillow, Alice and Uncas both think on the blessings they have received in each other.

#13 – Bias  
They settle in what barely counts as a town, far out of the crown's reach – there's no bias against Uncas here.

#14 – Burning  
Alice is happy she was sent with Magua; she knows she would never get the image of Duncan burning out of her mind.

#15 – Breathing  
The night after the cliffs, Alice lay curled into Uncas' side, worriedly listening to his shallow breathing.

#16 – Breaking  
When they hear another piece of crockery breaking in the next cabin, Alice and Uncas share an amused smile – Nathaniel and Cora must be fighting again.

#17 – Belief  
Alice talks to Chingachgook about his beliefs and about hers; he is not a Christian but he is a _good_ man and for her, that is enough.

#18 – Balloon  
Nadie looks at the inflated pig's skin in wonder and claps her hands.

#19 – Balcony  
Alice looks down at the creeping trenches of the French and knows they will not be at the fort long.

#20 – Bane  
Cora may say that Nathaniel is the bane of her existence, but Alice sees her regard grow the further they walk.

#21 – Quiet  
When Nadie's cries finally ebb into quiet, Alice lets her head drop in exhaustion onto Uncas' shoulder.

#22 – Quirks  
When she makes a pie, Alice has to crimp the edges of the dough _just so_ and put her initials on top – she swears it makes the pie taste better.

#23 – Question  
He never asks her if she'll stay with him forever, but she still answers the unasked question anyway.

#24 – Quarrel  
At first she was alarmed every time Nathaniel and Cora quarreled; Alice has long since become amused, instead.

#25 – Quitting  
If Uncas had died that day at the cliffs, she would have too.

#26 – Jump  
Thinking back to the height of the cliffs, Alice is glad she didn't have to jump.

#27 – Jester  
She catches him pulling faces at Nadie and laughs in tandem with their daughter.

#28 – Jousting  
She loves to watch him play lacrosse with the other men; he is graceful like a knight jousting.

#29 – Jewel  
When they couple behind the waterfall, he calls her _jewel of my heart_ - Alice can think of no poetry sweeter.

#30 – Just  
Just a few more miles and they would be there, Alice thought in exhaustion.

#31 – Smirk  
She hated when Nathaniel smirked at her until she found out that it meant he liked her - but Uncas liked her more.

#32 – Sorrow  
The sorrow for her father is dampened by her joy at Uncas' survival.

#33 – Stupidity  
She tells him later, sounding more like Cora than herself, that coming after her _alone_ was reckless and stupid.

#34 – Serenade  
He caught her singing as she cooked in the cabin and she can't help but blush at the look of admiration that was in his eyes, even a year later.

#35 – Sarcasm  
Nathaniel's words are full of sarcasm; Alice is glad that Uncas speaks plainly.

#36 – Sordid  
Years later, Alice will still sometimes wake in terror over the sordid mess of war.

#37 – Soliloquy  
Before they even reach the fort, Uncas' eyes tell a silent soliloquy of love.

#38 – Sojourn  
The long sojourn to the fort was easy compared to the frenzied flight from it.

#39 – Share  
She and Cora share the food, the laundry, and even the children as they attempt to finish the chores for the day.

#40 – Solitary  
When Alice followed Magua over the cliff's paths, she never felt so alone in her life.

#41 – Nowhere  
On her way to the fort, Alice realized that she had nowhere to truly call home.

#42 – Neutral  
Uncas' face is neutral, impassive – Alice wonders what he's thinking behind that still mask of his.

#43 – Nuance  
It takes miles of hard road and gunshot for Alice to learn every nuance in one of Uncas' looks.

#44 – Near  
Behind the waterfall, she couldn't get near enough to him.

#45 – Natural  
Alice is amazed at how natural it feels to be in his arms, surely that cannot be a sin.

#46 – Horizon  
They stare off into the horizon, fevered and numb, just happy to be bleeding and alive.

#47 – Valiant  
Alice was not expecting some valiant white knight at the cliffs, though she received one all the same.

#48 – Virtuous  
Alice does not worry about her virtue with these savages – they are more honorable than the scores of officers who have served under her father.

#49 – Victory  
Alice no longer cares about the war between the English and the French; the only victory she hopes for is her life.

#50 – Defeat  
Alice knows she can rely on Uncas to defeat her shadowed fears; Uncas knows her golden hair is his beacon home from the battle.


	3. Gamma

#01 – Ring

Alice braids the wildflowers into a large ring and slips it over Uncas's head.

#02 – Hero

They are no laurels, but he is her hero.

#03 – Memory

Alice can't remember the last time she felt strong; in America, she feels weaker than the invalid she was.

#04 – Box

Uncas carves the wood himself, with swirling patterns of leaves and vines on the lid; Alice thinks it nicer than anything bought from a store.

#05 – Run

Alice knows she is not fast enough to escape Magua and it chills her bones; Uncas' legs burn as they try to catch her.

#06 – Hurricane

There was a hurricane on the ship to America, and even Cora felt weak at the rolling waves.

#07 – Wings

Standing at the cliffs, that day, Alice wished she had wings to fly, fly away.

#08 – Cold

The water is cold, but her fear makes her more so; Uncas' hands trail fire down her sides as they hide under the waterfall.

#09 – Red

His blood was so very red and smeared across her skin, but Uncas was alive.

#10 – Drink

When Alice let the cool water slide down her parched throat, her eyes closed for a moment of peace; Uncas cannot tear his eyes away.

#11 – Midnight

Sometimes, in the dark of night, Alice wakes up alone to see Uncas watching the stars.

#12 – Temptation

He wants nothing more than to warm her body with his, and when she lifts her skirts, he wonders if this is the devil the white men speak of.

#13 – View

When he sees her clean hair cascade down in the sun, Uncas cannot look away from its gleaming light; the men at the fort will surely notice his distraction, he worries.

#14 – Music

Alice sings softly when she thinks Uncas cannot hear, but he has caught her anyway; he loves to see her blush.

#15 – Silk

When he buys her the bolt of silk as a surprise, her fingers glide over the supple fabric, even as she protests the extravagance; Uncas thought the silk as fine as her hair.

#16 – Cover

She pulls the blankets over them both, curling into his arms like a child to ward away the chill in the air.

#17 – Promise

He promises to protect her with his life, but Alice does not need the words – she has seen him do so without words before.

#18 – Dream

When she was young, Alice's dreams were full of fairy-tales; with Uncas, she feels like the princess awakened by a kiss.

#19 – Candle

When Alice lit the candle to feed Nadie, the flickering light illuminated the hunger in Uncas' eyes.

#20 – Talent

He has a talent for making her flush without a word, and Alice knows she should be ashamed of her wantonness; proper women do not think these thoughts.

#21 – Silence

He speaks more in silence than in words; Alice finds the silence soothing.

#22 – Journey

It was a terrible journey in blood and war, but now she feels strong enough to face the world at his side; without this trial, she would never have met the other half of her heart.

#23 – Fire

They burned Duncan (in place of Cora!) at the stake; Alice will never forgive the Huron that.

#24 – Strength

She is jealous of Cora's strength, for her firmness in traversing forests and battling savages; Alice simply feels numb.

#25 – Mask

She wonders if the stillness of his face is a mask; he wonders if the clarity of hers was painted on.

#26 – Ice

When Magua finds them under the waterfall, Alice feels as cold and brittle as ice; Uncas promises to return for her, but even his warm eyes and words cannot penetrate this frostbite.

#27 – Fall

The leaves turn colors and trickle down from the trees in the breeze; Alice feels the flutter of the babe kicking for the first time.

#28 – Forgotten

Chingachgook had forgotten the glow of a woman with child since the death of Maiara – Alice's face radiates like the summer sun when Uncas tells him of the babe.

#29 – Dance

Dancing is supposed to be an innocent pastime, but as Alice feels Uncas' body pressed against her, she feels dizzy with _something_, something she knows is not innocent.

#30 – Body

When Uncas takes her hand to help her over a steep climb, Alice wonders at the strength in the rest of his body; Uncas wonders at the softness of hers.

#31 – Sacred

Life, birth, and death are sacred – Alice wants Nadie to know how important they are, for Uncas and for her.

#32 – Farewells

When they reached the fort, Alice knew they would have to say goodbye; Uncas believed he would see her once more.

#33 – World

Alice is scared of the cruelty the world holds; Uncas would do anything to protect her from it.

#34 – Formal

When she first met Uncas, Alice was polite, even if he was a savage; when Uncus met Alice, he missed her soft words by looking into her demure eyes.

#35 – Fever

The fever stole her strength when she was young, but Uncas is always patient when they climb; Cora, Alice notes, never looks back.

#36 – Laugh

Cora laughs riotously with Nathaniel and Alice knows she isn't the only one to see Duncan's jealousy.

#37 – Lies

She tells Uncas she is fine, but Alice cannot stop sobbing – what if he _had_ died?

#38 – Forever

When Alice helps his bleeding form down from the cliffs, her heart had already made its vow; Uncas whispers his on their stumbling path down.

#39 – Overwhelmed

Alice trembles at the rioting cavalry and savages, the gunshots and screams of scalped men deafening, even with her hands clapped over her ears; Uncas cannot help but pity the small form on the ground, but when she rises, it is he who is overwhelmed.

#40 – Whisper

It seems as if everything in the forest must be whispered, as if the trees have ears – no one hears Alice and Uncas' hushed regard.

#41 – Wait

It seems an eternity before Nathaniel appears, her savior face among the sea of Huron; she loved Uncas, but her heart soared when he entered the Huron village.

#42 – Talk

Alice speaks a little, hesitating and blushing, about Uncas; her father's eyes are kind when he tells her that he knows no better men to escort her and Cora to the fort.

#43 – Search

Uncas pushes himself harder than he has ever run; he will follow her, find her.

#44 – Hope

Alice had long since lost hope, but when Uncas said he would return for her, she believed.

#45 – Eclipse

They watched the sun darken with hushed awe – only Chingachgook had seen the shadowed sun before.

#46 – Gravity

Alice knew the gravity of her actions when she lay her head on his thigh; Uncas worried only for her.

#47 – Highway

They see the coaches pass by the villages, sometimes, full of men and women in fancy clothes, but Alice is never jealous; she has escaped the gilded cage.

#48 – Unknown

When she looked into his eyes, Alice agreed to follow him into the unknown; her heart followed after that.

#49 – Lock

She turns the key to the cabin door and looks to Uncas with a light smile; there will not be any interruptions _this_ time.

#50 – Breathe

His shallow breaths tell her he is alive, that his bleeding form is a myth – for her, he came.


	4. Delta

#01 – Air

The air whips her skirts around her legs up on the cliffs, and Alice wonders if it is possible for the wind to carry her away.

#02 – Apples

She's holding a half-eaten apple when he finds her at the fort, curled up in a corner with her legs tucked under her skirts; Uncas sits next to her, satisfied at only hearing the apple's crunch.

#03 – Beginning

When they meet, she's entranced by his deep eyes but frightened by his grip on her arm; when they meet, Uncas is entranced by her lithe form, but frightened by her innocent eyes.

#04 – Bugs

If there is anything worse than the heat, it is the bugs at the fort – they get into everything, and Alice is disgusted to find cooties in the bed she's supposed to sleep in; this is the worst of father's campaigns.

#05 – Coffee

The coffee at the fort is like mud, thick, and leaves a dirty taste in Alice' mouth; Life on the frontier is nothing like sipping coffee from dainty cups back in Albany.

#06 – Dark

In the dark, Uncas can pretend that the war is not happening and Alice is more than just a temptation.

#07 – Despair

Until his father and Nathaniel appeared on the cliffs, Uncas felt despair for Alice, but never himself; he had failed her.

#08 – Doors

Alice had seen many doors in her life, from gilded to iron, but none looked prettier than the rough-hewn wood of the cabin Uncas had built.

#09 – Drink

Uncas drinks the rum at the fort to stop his thoughts of golden hair, but it only makes things worse – he talks about her hair instead; Nathaniel laughs and tells him to have another drink.

#10 – Duty

Alice knows she should be dutiful, she should be meek, but Cora has cultivated such outspokenness in her, she cannot help but ask Uncas about himself.

#11 – Earth

In this wide, wide Earth, how could there not be a place without wars, Alice wonders.

#12 – End

They leave the fort with the English colors held high, but Uncas knows, can feel deep in his bones, that this is not the end.

#13 – Fall

When she trips, it is his arm that steadies her, when she struggles, it is he who helps her climb; Alice cannot help the regard that grows within her, even though she tries.

#14 – Fire

The fire does little to warm her in her sodden skirts while they rest for the night, but Uncas' hand on her hair makes her feel as if there is a fire inside her.

#15 – Flexible

She sees him bend and whoop while playing lacrosse and hides a smile behind the laundry she is folding – he has bested Nathaniel again.

#16 – Flying

Uncas wonders what it would be like to see the sky as the hawk does, soaring and looking down on his animal brothers.

#17 – Food

There is plenty of food at the fort, but Alice never feels hungry after seeing the man scalped.

#18 – Foot

She is not used to traveling so far on foot, but Alice doesn't complain; each step brings them closer to father, to safety.

#19 – Grave

As she sat by Uncas' side, trying not to think of the cliffs, Alice prayed there would be no need for graves.

#20 – Green

After the rain, little sprouts of corn had appeared in the soil, and Alice couldn't help but kiss Uncas in celebration – there would be no famine this year, God willing.

#21 – Head

Uncas loves when she shakes her hair free from her head, loosening the braids and pins to reveal a golden curtain.

#22 – Hollow

Alice wonders if she will bleed when Magua kills her; she feels hollow inside.

#23 – Honor

There is an honor among the savages that Alice is surprised to see; they are hardly savage at all, these men that saved her and Cora.

#24 – Hope

When Magua took Alice with only a small group of Huron, Uncas _knew_ he could save her.

#25 – Light

There wasn't much light shining into the corner of the fort where Alice sat, hiding; with soldiers dancing around the fire, there was even less to highlight the blush in her cheeks when Uncas brought her hand to his lips.

#26 – Lost

Alice remembers once, when she was very young, becoming lost on the streets of London when Papa was taking her to the market; being lost in America is even worse.

#27 – Metal

Alice likes to trace her fingers over the metal in Uncas earlobe when they lie in bed and ask him about his childhood.

#28 – New

Nadie is gloriously, perfectly small – and terrifying, when she is born; what does it mean when she cries?

#29 – Old

It is Chingachgook who shows Alice how pat Nadie's back to put her to sleep, his leathered hand the size of her small back.

#30 – Peace

Their small patch of frontier is mostly peaceful, away from the war, and Alice prays each night that God will keep it so.

#31 – Poison

Uncas knew that hatred could poison a man's heart, but he would never trust the Huron.

#32 – Pretty

Alice knows that Cora will always be the prettier sister, for Alice is too thin, too frail to be a beauty; Uncas can think of nothing prettier than Alice's golden hair and lithe form.

#33 – Rain

She can hear the rain pattering on the roof when she awakens in the middle of the night, and Alice snuggles closer to Uncas' still form, drawing his arm around her; when lips ghost across the back of her neck, she cannot help but sigh contentedly.

#34 – Regret

Alice regrets her fascination with Uncas when she enters the fort; what proper woman would behave the way she had?

#35 – Roses

Her brocade roses are muddied quickly, and the hem of her skirt rent asunder, but Uncas thinks she looks every part a lady – far too good for him.

#36 – Secret

It is no secret that Cora prefers Nathaniel to Duncan, but when Alice whispers it to Uncas at the fort, he smiles as if he is surprised.

#37 – Snakes

Alices loathes snakes, and is horrified to learn that they are poisonous in America – what a horrible country!

#38 – Snow

Uncas loves to see Alice's eyes light at the snow on the ground; she is like a child in her excitement.

#39 – Solid

There is a solidness about Chingachgook that Alice finds soothing, with him she feels safe; it is clear that Uncas is much like his father.

#40 – Spring

He brings her a few flowers from the forest when he returns from the hunt – nicer than any hothouse blooms she saw in London.

#41 – Stable

Uncas has become her one reassurance in this mad war; as they leave the fort in surrender, Alice can't help but look back towards him.

#42 – Strange

Despite the many strange and foreign places they had gone with father, Alice thought America the strangest.

#43 – Summer

With the summer heat came the bared chests of the men in the fields; Alice can't keep the flush from her cheeks as she looks at Uncas.

#44 – Taboo

He is a savage, but in this mad world, Alice cares naught for the rules of society.

#45 – Ugly

He thinks the scars that mar his skin are ugly, but Alice kisses them one by one, a proof of his devotion to her.

#46 – War

Uncas will do anything to keep Alice from the war.

#47 – Water

The light glinting off the waterfall that hides them is entrancing; Alice doesn't realize the precipice until Uncas pulls her back.

#48 – Welcome

He had been gone a week hunting – Alice couldn't help but throw her arms around him, even with others watching.

#49 – Winter

She had finished the quilt for their bed a week before the first snowfall, but Uncas had to put a fur on top the bed before the week was out.

#50 – Wood

They stacked the wood in the fire high as the wind whistled about the cabin, but Alice felt the warmest with Uncas in the bed.


	5. Epsilon

#01 – Motion

Alice never enjoyed the feel of riding, with its stiff riding habits and unpredictable horses – she would much rather walk.

#02 – Cool

The water refreshes her in a way that sleep could not; the crisp taste brings her a clarity of mind that she had lost in her fear.

#03 – Young

Cora thinks she is far too young to understand war, Alice knows, but there is no sense in keeping their father's fate from her.

#04 – Last

Alice was used to falling behind and trying to keep up, which made it all the more touching when Uncas showed no impatience with her pace up the rocky terrain.

#05 – Wrong

Alice knows it is silly to fight over the price of flour, but the words stick in her throat when she goes to apologize to Uncas – she hates to admit she is wrong.

#06 – Gentle

His hands are always gentle, guiding her, rather than pulling; Alice admires his patience.

#07 – One

Nadie is their only child, but Alice thinks one is a perfect number when Cora makes five with the birth of her twins.

#08 – Thousand

There are thousands of steps from Albany to the fort, thousands of steps between chaos and safety; Alice thinks, at the edge of the cliffs, that she only needs to take_one_.

#09 – King

Alice knows that when Cora and Nathaniel start to argue bitterly about the King, it is easier to leave than try to moderate.

#10 – Learn

Nadie learns to take her first steps while Uncas is away; Alice can hardly contain her excitement when she sees him returning with Chingachgook, laden with pelts.

#11 – Blur

She was so overwhelemed by the war and the violence of men that their hasty retreat from the fort is all a blur to Alice.

#12 – Wait

Following Magua away from the village, Alice agonized with every step – the wait for rescue was unbearable.

#13 – Change

Things were different here, in America; the people were more independent, free spirited, Alice noted.

#14 – Command

Nathaniel commanded her attention in a way that Duncan never could; it was a sign that Alice could not ignore in Cora's countenance.

#15 – Hold

Behind the waterfall, hidden by darkness, Uncas' arms around her made Alice feel almost as if she were safe.

#16 – Need

She needed to feel as if there were more to the world than violence and hate – it was a sin to lie with a man, but Alice had forgotten what it felt to love.

#17 – Vision

They are old when Uncas' vision begins to fade, but he still speaks vividly of Alice's once-golden hair.

#18 – Attention

She would be quite bashful had she known the amount of attention Uncas paid to a passing expression or pause for breath.

#19 – Soul

When Chingachgook passes, Alice prays hard over her worn bible – he _does_ have a soul, believer or not.

#20 – Picture

Her room in London had lithographs on the walls, pictures of landscapes and kings; her first purchase with some extra pocket money is a vivid print of an English garden – it is small, but it is a start at making Albany home.

#21 – Fool

They were fools to follow him, to trust a savage; Alice was not sure why the second savages were any more trustworthy than the first.

#22 – Mad

Cora's temper was a fearful thing to behold – if she were not so angry with Duncan herself, Alice would have pitied him for his lies.

#23 – Child

She was not a child, despite Cora's attempts to treat her so; Alice knew she was not an invalid schoolgirl.

#24 – Now

They were buried under a long dead maple tree, the stone markers worn smooth by years of rain.

#25 – Shadow

Nadie was Uncas' shadow when she began to walk, happy to totter along behind him for hours.

#26 – Goodbye

Alice hated to say goodbye – whenever Uncas left, she would worry that each goodbye was their last.

#27 – Hide

It took years for Alice to lose her urge to hide, to feel exposed even indoors.

#28 – Fortune

She'd had her fortune told once at a fair, by a gypsy – Alice had thought her foolish when she had been warned to distrust a messenger; now, she knows exactly what the gypsy meant.

#29 – Safe

They took shelter in an abandoned cabin built by trappers, needing time for Uncas to rest and heal his wounds; Even with Nathaniel and Chingachgook taking turns on watch, Alice did not feel safe enough to sleep.

#30 – Ghost

The night after Nadie is born, Alice awakens from sleep, swearing she heard her father's voice singing the lullabye he used to sing her to sleep.

#31 – Book

Alice knew that Uncas could read, but it was still a surprise to find a worn copy of poems by John Donne in his pocket.

#32 – Eye

Alice has seen brown eyes before, but there is something captivating about Uncas' eyes that make them seem different from all the others.

#33 – Never

Even though Magua is dead, Alice will never fully shake the feeling that he could reappear and tear her world apart.

#34 – Sing

Alice likes to sing, but only when no one else can hear – she still has not gotten over her cousin Mary's comment that she was awfully flat that Christmas when she turned seven.

#35 – Sudden

Her feelings for Uncas seemed sudden, until she articulated the growing respect and ardor their flight had cultivated.

#36 – Stop

They sheltered not far from the cliffs, in desperate need of rest; No matter how long she sat, Alice could not stop the frantic beating of her heart or the tremors in her body.

#37 – Time

Time seemed to pass quickly, despite the adage that it only flew when you were having fun.

#38 – Wash

Alice hated the hot, heavy task of laundry – no matter how ill-behaved the twins were, she would rather it be her week to mind the children than do the laundry.

#39 – Torn

It was a hard task between what was right and what she wanted, and Alice found herself like a moth to flame when Uncas was near.

#40 – History

The British army had a history of victory, of conquest, and Alice knew, no matter how bleak the war appeared, the Redcoats would win once more.

#41 – Power

It scared her, how little power the colonists had over their fate, subject to warring parties of savages and waves of typhoid and cholera; for some reason, America had sounded much more civilized in Papa's letters.

#42 – Bother

Alice knew she was underfoot and in the way; it did not take her long to find a nook to hide, where Cora could not snap at her for being a bother.

#43 – God

Alice still believes in God, although it is a test of faith, that day at the cliffs.

#44 – Wall

She has her back against the rough-hewn wall of the cabin, eyes on the door, when she drifts off to sleep – it is only a few minutes, however, until she jolts back to awareness, panicking at an unknown sound.

#45 – Naked

His body is covered in scars, a testament to courage; Alice cannot help but be awed by the sinews in his arms and the sleek plane of his torso – Uncas is a beautiful man.

#46 – Drive

He is driven to find her, to protect her; Uncas will follow her path to the ends of the earth.

#47 – Harm

He is bleeding and wounded, but Alice is unharmed – even if he dies, he has won.

#48 – Precious

She is so innocent and frail, Uncas wonders if she realizes how precious a rarity she is in the frontier.

#49 – Hunger

Alice is too nervous to realize her hunger until she awakens, two mornings after that day at the cliffs, ravenous.

#50 – Believe

Uncas believes that everything will happen for a reason – from their first meeting, he knows his future is entwined with Alice Munro.


End file.
